Prefabricated runway construction



y 6, 1953 A. P. ROBISHAW 2,639,650

PREF'ABRICATED RUNWAY CONSTRUCTION Filed June 24, 1950 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 A, 20 26 27 /5 /5 /5 $1 I nunnu nuuununuuuu l /4 2a 29 3O A/ces Pou/ Rob/show INVENTOR.

A T TORNE Yv May 26, 1953 A. P. ROBISHAW PREFABRICATED RUNWAY CONSTRUCTION 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June 24, 1950 .W m mm N MW m W P s e C A BY Q X z A 7' TORNE Y6 y 6, 1953 A. P. ROBISHAW PREFABRICATED RUNWAY CONSTRUCTION 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed June 24, 1950 A /c es Pou/ Rob/show INVENTOR.

A TTOHA/[YJ Patented May 26, 1953 UNITED PATENT 2,639,650 7 rimmnnioa'rno RUNWAY CONSTRUCTION sites ran intents, Houston 'lex assert; t6

C. N, Housh, Houston, Tex.

Atiflitat'ibn June 24, 1950, Serial Nd. 170,176 4 claims. (o1. 94 1s) This invention relates to a prefabricated construction useful for runways, roadways,- walkways, decks, cattle guards; bridge spans and the like, and has as its principal object the disclosure of a construction that is light weight; capable of withstanding high stresses and heavy loads, and is adaptable for traversing awide variety of terrains.

Another object is to provide trussedconstruction that can withstand high stresses and support heavy loads but that includes flexibleqpon tions making it adaptable to rough; soft or swampy terrain.

A further object of the invention is to provide a corrugated, trussedconstruction that may be built in portable sections relatively light in weight and that can be easily interlocked to other like sections along any edge to provide a continuous deck or surface suitable as a roadway, mat, or the like.

Another object is to disclose a' constructionthat presents a large bearing surface to the base on which it is employed, which bearing surface increases as the construction tends to settle.

A further object is to provide a'fiexible; trussed construction that is capableof withstandinghigh lateral, vertical and longitudinal stresses and provide a large bearing surface: on rough or muddy ground.

Still another object is to provide prefabricated sections from which aroadway may be readily and economically constructed and which are recoverable for repeated use.

Other objects of this inventionwill become apparent from a reading of the following description taken in conjunctionwith the illustrated embodiment and claims. M

In general, the present inventionembodies a section suitable for use'in making roadways and the like comprising a membermadeirom a continuous web of sheet metal; galvanized sheet metal or other suitable material provided with a plurality of laterally extending corrugations. Ifhis member is preferably -square or rectangular in over-all shape. Trussing members in the'iorm of narrow elongate'members such as metal straps are positioned on both side faces of the corrugated member and extend transversely to the corrugations. The strapsare securedat the point of contact with the ridge portions ofthe corrugations. Each section may-be constructed such that the straps on one side thereof will extend from the corrugation at one end of the corrugated member to within atlleast one'corrugation of the other end while the straps on the other 2 side extend from the corrugation at ,the latter end to within at least one corrugation of the first end. This mode oftrussing leaves open corrugations at opposite ends and on opposite Sid is or side faces free to overlap or.-underlap like open corrugations inanidentical section; thus permitting any two sections to be loosely and flexibly interlockedat adjacent ends; The straps may be positioned adjacent the outer side edges to leave a minor or relatively small marginal portion or area of the corrugations on each side edgeopen to overlap'or underlap marginal corrugations of like sections thus permitting flexi-ble, lateral interlocking ,or" adjacent sections.

In the preferred embodiment, the strapsinelude at least one intermediate contoured or shaped portion which will engage in and line the groove of a corrugation; The contoured portions of top and bottom strapsare fitted into adjacent corrugations situated between the ends of the memberso that the sections will include adjacent open corrugations between trussed, corrugated subsections; These open corrugations provide vertical flexibility between adjacent subsectioiis. The subsections; however, are rigid because of the straps. v i

It is also contemplated-by this inventionto add strength to, and at the same timelighten the oonst'ruction or the sections by providing annular, flanged openings at spaced intervals along the top and bottom ridges of the corrugations. Preferably, the openings in the ridges include coniiorm flanges" extending outwardly from the ridge surface. Transversely extending ribs or corrugations may if desired be impressed at spaced intervals along the ridges, or between openings along the ridges of the corrugations. Additional strength may be added to the construction by impressing series of vertical ribs along the walls of the main corrugations. This reinforcement of the was of sheet metal makes it possible toutilize very light gauge material thereby reducing both the cost the weight of th seniors.

In the accompanying are gs which form a part of the instantseecn' Iori; like" reference numerals are used to indicate like parts in; the various views. a

Fig. 1 is a plan View er a plurality ori'riterlocked, prefabricated sections making up a roadway, walkway an'dtu'r g decki I Fig. 21is a; tip ian view toenail enlarged scale of a single section constructed insect-regime with the present invention and including frag- 3 mentary portions of other sections interlocking therewith;

Fig. 3 is a side elevation of one of the sections shown in Figs. 1 and 2;

Fig. 4 is a bottom plan view of the section shown in Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a side elevation of several interlocking sections placed on irregular terrain and forming a roadway;

Fig. 6 is a detailed perspective view showing the mode of interlocking individual sections;

Fig. 7 is an enlarged perspective view of one of the corrugations of the preferred construction including stiffening elements;

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary top plan View of the corrugation shown in Fig. 7

Fig. 9 is a view taken along the line 99 in Fig. 8 in the direction of the arrows; and

Fig. 10 is an exploded view showing a complete section and a portion of another section illustrating the mode of interlocking the ends of two sections.

Referring to the drawings, particularly Fig. 1, the numerals l0 and H designate runway sections of a roadway leading to deck l2 made up of i a plurality of interlocking panels or sections [3. The deck I2 is useful for loading, unloading, parking and turning of vehicles, or as a landing deck for aircraft. A walkway [4 may lead from deck 12.

Panel l3, as shown in Figs. 2, 3 and 4, cornprises a rectangular member in the form of a single web of sheet metal formed with laterally extending corrugations with top and bottom flat ridge surfaces [5 and it connected by inclined walls ll. Narrow elongate members such as straps I8, l9 and extend along one side or face which may be the top of member l3 transversely of the corrugations and parallel to the side edges of the panel. Strap l5} extends along the middle of the panel while straps i8 and 2!!- extend near the opposite side edges leaving a corrugated marginal area. The bottom of member I4 is provided with narrow elongate members such as straps 25, 21a and 23 placed generally opposite the corresponding top straps. The truss members are secured to the corrugation ridges such as surfaces l5 and It at the point of contact therewith as by spot welding or other suitable means.

The corrugations may have rounded ridges of the more or less conventional type, but flat ridge surfaces connected by flat vertical or sloping walls to give right, obtuse or acute angled construction is generally preferred because of the greater strength of this type construction. The obtuse angled construction shown in Fig. 3 has the advantage of presenting an ever increasing bearing surface as the section settles in soft earth. I

Straps [8, I9 and 20 may include downwardly extending contoured or shaped portions 26 and 21, which may be formed by pressing or bending the straps to conform to the shape of the corrugation grooves whereby the underwalls of the shaped portion form a snug fit with the walls of the groove; the shaped portions may be secured if desired to the groove. The bottom straps also include upwardly extending contoured portions 29 and 30 that engage in the grooves adjacent the grooves into which contoured portions 26 and 21 fit. This construction divides each section into at least two rigid subsections of trussed corrugations connected by flexible portions provided by the untrussed intermediate corrugations whereby rough terrain is easily traversed as appears from Fig. 5. The straps, due to their conformity with the corrugations in the flexible portion of member [3, strengthen these flexible portions but do not appreciably interfere with their flexibility. While each subsection has been shown in the drawings as divided by two adjacent corrugations having straps fitting into the grooves thereof, greater areas of flexibility may be achieved by fitting the top and bottom straps into three or more adjacent corrugations. In some cases, the construction may include an even number of non-reinforced grooves on either the top or bottom, the other side having an odd number. Generally, if the sections are used on l'airly level ground or as bridge spans, a completely trussed construction without inner areas of flexible corrugations will be preferred whereas a modification of the type illustrated in Fig. 2 will be preferred where the sections need vertical flexibility.

It will be noted that the top straps extend from surface [5 at the corrugation at the left end of member 13, as viewed in Figs. 2 and 3, to a corrugation adjacent to but at least one corrugation removed from the opposite end whereas the bottom straps extend from surface 56 of the corrugation at the right end of the section to a corrugation adjacent to but at least one corrugation removed from the left end. This construction permits the interlocking of ends of like sections with one, two or more interlocked corrugations. For example, sections 21 and 22 of Fig. 2 are interlocked with each other at their ends, the untrussed end of section 22 overlapping the untrussed end of section 2!. The untrussed portions at opposite ends may include as many as two to four or even more corrugations depending on the degree of interlocking with other sec tions to be obtained. Lateral overlapping of the side edges of identical sections may be provided by placing the open marginal area of one section over the other as shown in Fig. 2. The edge 23 of section 2| may be flush with strap 18. Strap [8 serves to limit the degree of overlapping of the sections, and the loose overlapping gives lateral and vertical flexibility between adjacent sections to adapt them more readily to rough ground.

Fig. 10 represents an enlarged view of the section shown in Fig. 3. A portion of another section l3a is shown in exploded relationship with the section l3. This illustrates the manner in which the ends overlap, it being understood that to connect section [3a with section I3, it is merely necessary that the section l3a be lowered from the position shown in Fig. 10 until it mates with the end of section l3.

The adaptability of the trussed construction for rough terrain and for use in supporting vehicles is shown in Fig. 5. The rigid trussed subsection 3| between untrussed corrugations 21 and 29 will readily bridge irregularities, such as 32, in the terrain without bending to any appreciable extent under heavy loads when the wheel 33 of a vehicle places direct stress upon that portion. On the other hand, the flexible corrugated portions 26 and 29 and 2! and 30 connecting the trussed subsections have high vertical and iongitudinal strength because of thev straps lining the walls of the grooves, and yet are flexible and will conform to irregularities in the terrain by permitting the section to bend somewhat at these portions.

The untrussed, upper corrugations at the right end of member l3 are overlapped by the untrussed under corrugationsv at. thelft end" of member 33 to form a continuous 'roadwayl This connection provides a loose fit between thetwo sections and gives another point of""fiexibility'to the runway. at the point. of mteuecnng:

Fig. 6 shows more clearlythe interlocking of theuntrussedend corrugations at' the joining ends of the two sections. Itfwill be notedthat corrugated member 4 having; Jupper'istraps 3t and 35 includes open troughs 3dand3i which. receive, respectively, trough portionsi'su'ch' as. iiof member I3. A perspective 'view is also shown of two sections interlocking at the" side edges. Corrugated member as containing, marginal straps 39-0verlaps. the corrugated" marginal port tion of 'member The edge of section flush with the edge of strap 3t.

Other modifications of -the present invention are-shown; in Figs.-7, 3= and-9; I Corru including top. ridge surface 431 'and'side'walls .22 and t3 coime'ctingtobottomridge-surfaces is and 45 is shown as the end-portion of av-se'ction of the type heretofore. describedfliit beingi'understood that thisv end portiom is; only one ofdn'any corrugations made. up. into aw sheet haying the same general configuratiom as' that show-n in Figs. 1 to G. Transverselysextending strapsit, H- and 4.85am secured. to ridgei li. Strapsi'l and 4%! correspond tostraps. 1.8., it and it in Fig. 2 in both' posit'i'od'and' extent. Also, correspondihg straps are placed n the botto n 'of tli'e section in the samemanner as straps 25,

223 in Fig. 4. Thus, in general;- the pa "sl m up in-accordance with f ig. 7 lhave i general configuration and dispesition: the panel shown in Figs. 2, 3 was except-forthe strengthening structures described immediately below. The top ridge surface 51 may include a series of annular openings ts, which are provided with upwardly extending, coniform flanges, located at spaced intervals between the strap members and in the marginal areas beyond the side straps. These upwardly extending flanges serve several purposes, namely, to provide im proved traction between the wheels of vehicles and the ridges, to strengthen the top ridges by adding the stiffening flanged portion, to reduce the weight of the member, and to relieve suction caused by sticky soil filling in part of the under corrugations when it is desired to remove a section.

The bottom ridge surfaces such as M and 35 also may contain at spaced intervals a series of annular openings 50 similar to 19 but with downwardly extending flanges. These flanged openings serve in the same manner as openings it.

If desired, wall members 42 and 8.3 of the corrugations may be provided with a series of vertically extending, trough-like stiffening ribs such as and 52 which alternately project from and are depressed into the walls. Ribs 51 project outwardly as shown while ribs 52 are indented into the wall. These ribs in effect are spaced corrugations along the wall surfaces of the corrugations of the main member and may be added to give additional vertical strength to the trussed section.

Also, if desired, the ridge portions ll, i l and MS may include at spaced intervals projecting ribs or corrugations such as 53 and 54 in order to improve traction between the ridges and wheels of vehicles and to add additional longitudinal strength to the main corrugations. The ribs extend transversely of the corrugations and may be formed alternately upwardly and down- For example, two straps maybe extendedalcng wardly. The ridge corriilat'ioiisjm arrangemeimzs may be' employe'd satisfactb the top portion at about equal dist nces frbm edges while a single strapni-einbei" mayb'e"e "ftended longitudinallyalong the center'ofthe bot tom of the section.

By way of example arid not by way of-l-im tion; a typical prefabricated sectien may ten-feet" long and three feet" wide'witlr corrug tion's approximately four inches in thick The corrugated member may be constructed of galvanized sheet'met'alin order to resist corrosion in damp locations and" will generally be"o'f a lighter gauge metal than thest'rapsi" g It will be seen "that thepresent invention 'has many advantages: over prior art portable prefabricated constructions such as those mad of other similar construction m'ater ls are muc'h heavier and bulkier for agiveri-degreeor strehgtl' i than the present construction and wood structures rot and decay rapidly in wet climates. Mild, galvanized steel or stainless steel may be used in the present construction to resist oxidation-type corrosion and will give the semi-permanence desired for oil field roadways and the like. The use of corrugations also has an advantage over prior art constructions in that the member has substantial thickness and will rise above surface waters or mud. When a load is placed on the construction, the bearing area of the bottom corrugations increases due to the wedging action of the under corrugations on the soil forced up into them. At the same time the corrugations tend to hold soft earth or mud and resist their outflow which maintains the member on an even level and retards settling of the roadway. The load is uniformly distributed over a large bearing area because of the rigidity of the trussed sections so that the unit bearing load is not excessively great.

The roadway may be readily, quickly and economically laid and is recoverable for use at a different location. The sections lend themselves to convenient storage and transportation The construction of the individual sections is such that they may be used interchangeably with either side up.

From the foregoing it will be seen that this invention is one well adapted to attain all of the ends and objects hereinabove set forth together with other advantages which are obvious and which are inherent to the structure.

It will be understood that certain features and subcombinations are of utility and may be employed without reference to other features and subcombinations. This is contemplated by and is within the scope of the claims.

As many possible embodiments may be made of the invention without departing from the scope thereof, it is to be understood that all matter herein set forth or shown in the accompanying drawings is to be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

The invention having been described, what is claimed is:

1. A prefabricated construction section comprising a continuous corrugated sheet member, narrow elongate members positioned transversely of the corrugations on both top and bottom side faces of the sheet member and secured to the peaks of the corrugations providing a trussed construction, said elongate members on one side face of the corrugated member extending from the endmost corrugation at a first end of said sheet member to a corrugation adjacent but at least one corrugation removed from an end of said corrugated sheet member opposite said first end, and said elongate members on the other side face extending from the endmost corrugation at said opposite end to a corrugation adjacent to but at least one corrugation removed from said first end of the sheet member thereby leaving an end portion of said other side face unobstructed by said elongate members to receive, in mating relationship, the first end of another section which is similarly constructed.

2. The section of claim 1 wherein each elongate member at a point intermediate its ends has at least one shaped portion conforming to the corrugations, and wherein one of such shaped portions of each top elongate member mates in the same upwardly facing corrugation and one of such shaped portions of each bottom elongate member mates in the same downwardly 8 facing corrugation, said same upwardly and said same downwardly facing corrugations being immediately adjacent each other and having a common wall.

3. The section of claim 1 wherein at least two of said elongate members are of narrow width relative to the width of said sheet member and are secured to each side face of the sheet member providing marginal areas along each edge of the sheet member, which areas are open and unobstructed.

4. The section of claim 1 wherein the corrugations of the sheet member are provided with stiffening elements formed therein as an integral part of the sheet member and reinforcing the peaks of the corrugations against horizontal forces.

ALCES PAUL ROBISHAW.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,647,515 Ellis Nov. 1, 1927 1,900,721 Manske et a1 Mar. 7, 1933 2,022,622 Kahn Nov. 26, 1935 2,180,504 Bradfield et al Nov. 21, 1939 2,278,554 Morton Apr. '7, 1942 2,407,059 Crafton Sept. 3, 1946 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 306,673 Great Britain Feb. 28, 1929 850,324 France Sept. 11, 1939 854,207 France Jan. 4, 1940 851,219 France Jan. 5, 1940 857,815 France Oct. 1, 1940 

